Paul Wood

Here's the stark facts in sales today. - 31% of reps are making quota - Nearly half (44%) of deals slip - Sales cycles are double digits longer, win rates are double digits down - Inbound leads are down - Salesforce recognised the need to increase pipeline coverage to by 50% (from x2 to x3) Most of those we speak to recognise all these challenges. But they are stuck. "Do more with less" is the message. They have cut teams and fought for those remaining. Their organisations are stuck with blind hope and knives sharpening. The only solution they know is to fire and replace. Because the real problems aren't acknowledged. The market has changed and it's harder. But are teams are not more skilled. The same teams, that could achieve in the old world are failing in this one. And the last message anyone wants, is we need to spend some money to solve that. "That's your job isn't it?" cries the leadership to time-starved managers and leaders. Anyone want to guess what's going to happen to sales manager average tenure (already at an all-time low of 18 months)????

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Sean’s Sales Tip 🚫 Focusing solely on increasing the pipeline to meet sales quotas is a misguided strategy. It is akin to saying I will risk $300 in the slot machine, instead of $200 to make a win. 🔔 Salesforce's recent decision to require 3x pipeline coverage, up from 2x, rang the alarm bells for me. 💸 Such an increase demands significant effort and resources, leading to a dramatic rise in customer acquisition costs (CAC) and other bid related costs without guaranteeing an equivalent increase in revenue. 🤔 Think about the optics of this announcement. You are saying to your sales teams it is OK to lose 66% of your deals now, instead of 50%. 🎯 The emphasis should shift from maximizing pipeline to optimizing win rates and accelerating deal velocity. Step 1 🏆 Improve Win Rates Improving win rates is a more efficient and cost-effective approach to achieving sales targets. For instance, a modest increase in win rates from 20% to 25% can yield substantial revenue gains with no extra pipeline required. Step 2 🚀 Accelerate deal velocity To enhance deal velocity (and also win rates), salespeople need to focus on creating pain, recruiting, and equipping champions within the client organization so that your deal gets done and becomes a priority. 💡 Prioritizing win rates and deal velocity over pipeline growth is a smarter and more sustainable strategy for achieving sales quotas. This means that Sales Leaders need to be trained in how to coach their teams effectively and for them to get out of the office more often.

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🚀 Salespeople reveal what they're thinking in 2024…👀🚀 We've just released our latest report, in which we asked hundreds of AEs and sales leaders for their views on everything from their sales process and tooling to their confidence in the year ahead. Some eye-openers such as: 🔍 Only 9% of AEs think their company’s buying process is very good—meaning there's a huge opportunity to make impactful improvements that could set your team apart. 🤝 1 in 2 AEs lost a deal during the handover to Customer Success. But, when these teams collaborate effectively, customer churn plummets. 🧵 78% of AEs find it difficult to multithread beyond their champion—highlighting an opportunity to improve and learn how to strengthen relationships across the buying team. From refreshing onboarding practices to tackling stakeholder visibility, we’re sharing what sellers really want (and need) to win.. This report is for anyone involved in driving sales success—from those on the front lines of sales to strategic leadership. These insights give you a peek under the bonnet of what’s really going on in the minds of Account Executives and revenue leaders. 👉 In the spirit of buyer enablement we’re not even harvesting your email address and flooding you with sales emails…simply download the full report, in peace, in the comments #SalesInsights #trumpet #SalesStrategy #AccountExecutives

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VPs Sales, STOP managing your SDRs | Here's why... 👀 Here's the sh*t you should be doing: 💵 Focus on supporting your AE team/s close deals 🧬 Prioritise strategic collaboration with other functions 📊 Review data to set strategic direction 👔 Spend time hiring A-Grade Leaders & AEs 🤝 Give attention to customers to optimise renewals & upsells ⚙️ Implementing & driving adoption of core sales processes Here's the sh*t you either should NOT be doing or worse... MISSING: 🗣️ Coaching the most inexperienced/junior reps in the org 🔁 Hiring & promoting in an ever-changing team dynamic 👥 Providing daily support for people still finding their way as an adult 🧑‍🏫 Teaching the BASICS of how cold-call, email, qualify, etc. 🔬 Study current prospecting trends & ideas 💪 Keeping impatient and hungry young professionals motivated Be honest with yourself... 🧠 Think about where you're burning your calories 🧠 Think about whether you have the time to manage this stakeholder group 🧠 Think about whether your prospecting knowledge is as sharp as it should be 🧠 Think about whether your SDR team is delivering the results you want 🧠 Think about where you are going to have the biggest business impact ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ 👋 Hi I'm Andy, Founder of RevRocket. I specialise in building, optimising and growing your SDR function so you don't have to. Considering getting support for your PipeGen Team? Shoot me a DM ✉️

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In this EnableMinutes video, Richard Higham highlights how sales teams must adapt to meet buyers where they are, using data to drive smarter, more meaningful interactions. 💡 "Less than 17% of a buying group’s time is spent talking to salespeople." 💡 What’s your strategy for adapting to changing buyer behaviors? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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A one-minute insight on how sales processes need to adapt to changed buying behaviours. Please take a quick listen and tell Richard what you think. Thanks to the EnableMinutes team at Allego. https://lnkd.in/dYQWA4cy

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B2B salespeople have to show buyers that they can add value to their business. Only then will they be regarded as a trusted advisor to their clients. We've researched the critical capabilities that salespeople must develop to be successful in a modern, strategic sales environment. To find out more download our whitepaper here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dF_PUNqm #salestalent #learninganddevelopment #salestraining #salesacuity

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3-step framework to nailing your demos. 1. Frame the broader problem Ex) Most sales leaders I work with are really struggling to understand where the risk in their pipeline is 2. Frame their problem Ex) You just told me you are 100% reliant on your CRM to try and sus out risk in deals 3. Tell a story of how your solution can solve this (don't feature dump, make it punchy) Ex) Now with XYZ you will know exactly what is happening in every single one of your deals. Tonight at 5:00 PST we are hosting a session on nailing your demos! Shoot us a message if you are interested in joining.

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Douglas landed his new Enterprise AE role at nTop using Aligned! He got the buy-in from the sales leaders, exec's, procurement and the aunts and uncles (trying to make a funny one here)......! Bad sales really is like a bad pushy date. Dont go in too hard for the close - get buy-in first. Episode 3 is out..food for some thought perhaps? #sales #khantent #management #baddate #badsalesdate

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FAQ: How does Keepme Sales Agent manage leads outside of standard business hours? Book a private demo for you and your team and get a feel for what's possible 👉 https://lnkd.in/eB8ZZYuT grab a cuppa and dig into 7 min demo video 👉https://lnkd.in/esFSFv45 or #fitnessoperators #leadgeneration #AI #innovation #memberacquisition #fitnessleads

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10X Sales Reps... Is that the future of Sales? And more importantly... Is it doable? We're in the middle of 2024, and predictions (as usual) are in order. That's why we asked Brendan Short, Product-Led Sales at Apollo.io, about his views on the future of the sales rep profession, and they are pretty interesting. Would you agree? Drop your 2 cents in the comments! #sales #salestalk #salestech

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For Andrew Gray, Head of Revenue Enablement at Sanity, Relationship Map is a key tool to help his sellers multi-thread and close deals. Here’s how one of his sellers recently closed a deal using Relationship Map. ⤵ “One of our reps in EMEA had built his Relationship Map in Sales Navigator, screenshot it and put it on a deal review. He was able to see where he was lacking relationships, what he was missing to be multi-threaded, where he needed more exposure – everything that’s key for relationship mapping,” said Gray. What surprised Andrew about the Relationship Map was that his seller was able to build it directly within Sales Navigator. “Normally our sellers build out some sort of relationship map inside of Excel, a Miro Board, Google Drawings, or some other application. But the fact that he was able to do this inside of Sales Navigator made me think this should be our new standard moving forward.” After using Relationship Map, the seller focused his efforts on the missing key relationships that could help him close the deal. He then used LinkedIn to get an introduction to a key contact who was a champion for moving that deal forward. And best of all, that seller closed the deal a few months later. “Would he have won the deal without the Relationship Map? Maybe.” Gray reflected. “But do I know for a fact that he sat and looked at his Relationship Map, and used it to map out a strategy that ultimately won him that deal? 100%.” Learn more about Relationship Map here: https://lnkd.in/RelationshipMap #SalesNavigator #sales #B2Bsales

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SWAT teams rather than armies. Hearing this phrase from lots of sales teams recently. And there is lots of logic - to a smaller highly trained (and coached ;-) elite team rather than a larger team, whether SDR’s or quota carriers. Here’s the drivers… - Sales Efficiency, the obvious one. Growth at all costs is gone, presumably forever. Cost of acquisition and sustainable growth are now key. - Raise The Bar, a smaller elite and well coached (couldn’t resist this time) team removes the weakest performers, the time and resources spent trying to pull them up and raises the bar for everyone on the team. - Bottom Up Economics, teams resourced based on on actual pipeline not multiplying quotas by team size. Quota carriers, even if good prospectors, can’t and arguably shouldn’t create all their own pipeline. If you don’t have the pipeline from SDR’s and inbounds, the team is bloated. - Elite is easier , With a smaller well chosen/recruited team, it’s more realistic with time and resource to help make them elite. And with an elite team, everything is easier. - Cheaper, it’s not just sales efficiency. It’s cost and budgets. They are smaller and what is possible or affordable has changed. What are you doing to create your SWAT teams?

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When you start selling something, you start to lose the chances of getting a sale. 💥 People don't like being talked at, or "sold" to. 🦜 😬 However people do like to learn. 🎓 And they like to have a conversation. 👍 And a conversation is all about common ground: from the vendor perspective it is about understanding the needs of the company that the vendor is selling to. 🌞 But imagine if you do not need to sell at all. 😎 Imagine if your prospective client came to you, (a) understood exactly what you did, (b) understood who your competitors are, and (c) understood what you did differently and better. 💯 Then the conversation is automatically at a better level. 🥂 It's no longer about having to talk at and about the basics of what you do. 😉 And there is no need to imagine any more. 😊 Because hifo delivers that (a), (b), and (c). 💯 Why make it difficult to let a buyer know what you do, when you can use hifo to make it easy? If a buyer has been to hifo, they will know what you do, how you do it differently and better, and if they have chosen to speak with you, they do understand how you are the better option, and you will already on the path to working together. 😎

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Calling all B2B sales professionals. With our friends at Aircall, we need your help with our State of Sales Coaching survey 2024. 3-5 minutes of your time could win you amazing prizes - the latest AirPods, Sonos speaker, Nespresso machine, and of course MySalesCoach scholarships. Sales coaching is widely considered the most critical function of a frontline sales leader. Previous studies demonstrate that it significantly boosts win rates and quota attainment. However, many sales organisations find it challenging to establish and execute an effective sales coaching culture and strategy. Our survey seeks to identify the key trends, best practices, and impacts of sales coaching in 2024. You'll be first to get the study published in October packed with insight, data and trends. Leaders and Individual Contributors should complete the survey - with scholarship places up for grabs for each. Your voice really matters, complete today for a chance of these amazing prizes and to be first with the report. Link here to complete - https://lnkd.in/eKRcTPXV

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I’ve built and managed SDR teams for over 8 years. This is one of the most common issues that lead to bad performance. I’ve seen countless scenarios where capable SDR teams are underperforming. Management is becoming concerned and eager to turn the issue around. A quick audit generally reveals the key issue - a bloated sales stack. Unnecessary sales tools with too many features. Creating a team that is beyond confused and a sales tech bill that grows every month. I try to live by the ethos - less is more. After you’ve seen the other side it seems obvious. A simple sales tech stack means… → Less confusion and more focus → Reduced overthinking and more acting → Less time wasted on unnecessary training and more time on enjoyable coaching Allow your team to be their best with a simplified path. Audit your stack. — How often do you audit your sales stack? #sales #salestech

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What sets great SMB sales leaders apart? It's not about a single deal transforming your quarter but building a system that consistently delivers results. Tom Richardson, GM International at Personio and former Sales Leader at Stripe breaks down the key elements behind consistent, scalable success —covering everything from pipeline management to supporting your team. Forme Partners #Leadership #SalesSuccess #Growth #ExpertInsights #SMBSales

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In next week's masterclass we're focussing on how to secure and manage reliable data for your outbound sales activities. For the majority of salespeople, finding a source of reliable and accurate data is nigh on impossible, leading to frustration about time wasted when it could be better spent on 'doing' rather than 'seeking'. New solutions are coming online all the time – but how do you sort the good, from the bad and ugly? Should we be buying into expensive data platforms or using more traditional methods? And how can we make data do the hard yards for us, rather than hinder the sales process? All these questions will be answered this month in our Ethical Sales Academy Masterclass and our members are looking forward to this one! Why join the Ethical Sales Academy, our community for like-minded salespeople? ✅ Hone your sales and business development skills with industry experts. ✅ Build new connections and friendships with your sales peers. ✅ Make better decisions at crucial times in your deal cycles. Sign up to find out how: https://lnkd.in/eceuPV4M #sales #community #ethicalsales #growth #personaldevelopment #learninganddevelopment #motivation #success

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Exciting session announcement! Martin Garvey, Director, EMEA Enterprise Sales at Gong will be delivering a session on: Supercharge Sales with AI Learn how best-in-class GTM leaders rev up their revenue org with AI and uncover their strategies for increased productivity, predictability and growth. Join this insightful discussion about the practicality of leveraging AI and how it can play a pivotal role in navigating the evolving landscape of sales. Key Takeaway: The practicality of leveraging AI across GTM teams to generate greater productivity, predictability and growth. Get tickets: https://lnkd.in/ge2VxsEg #B2BMarketingEx24

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